Sunday, May 20, 2012

Great Walk: Routeburn

Finally I stepped out the front door.

Wanting so badly to do one of NZ's famous Great Walks, constantly stuttering to start, picked up our bags & laid them down, heading to the bar instead (made of ice). Provisioned instead. Okay, let's do this!...tomorrow.

Our host Mike asks if we have a GPS beacon, & everyone else says "You're not doing Routeburn, are you?" The lady at the DOC office (Department of Conservation) told us it was waist deep snow weeks ago. That's pretty much exactly the fears surrounding my hesitation. The world is against us.

BUT my New Years Resolution is to Stop Hesitating (same as last year) & we push forward saying "How bad can it be?" & "realistically we are not doing this whole trek, but let's go & see how when we get there." So I left half my food at home. I mean, at Mike's in Queenstown.

We'd had plenty of luck hitching on the same road a week ago, but this time they weren't biting. We struggled but managed to get to the trailhead just at the cutoff time for turning back. Perfect timing.

The hike was amazing, & the trail conditions were better than we could have imagined. Unreal. Spectacular. We couldn't have asked for better weather (other than the wet firewood). So we pushed on, until we got to the top, until we got to the bottom. Looking back at the ridge we did is insanity. Are you freaking kidding me?!

Walked across to Milford Sound, which is practically the 8th wonder of the world.

Rubbing the new blisters on my feet from my 15$ tramping boots, looking at the next one. That Milford Track is awful tempting... And so many more! Heaps even!